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Chapter 21
When Robert and Anne exited the room he had proposed to her in, they were stunned to see the family (and Alfred, of course) had gathered outside. When they opened the door, everyone looked to them expectantly, and when Anne held up her hand with the ring on her finger, everyone cheered and hugged them with all of their might.
The children went and swarmed Anne first, of course, and Eponine came up and embraced her brother-in-law. When he pulled away from her, he looked to his brother expectantly. He was almost certain that George would be overjoyed at the news, but there was now a look on his face that struck concern in Robert’s soul.
“George,” Robert said hesitantly, “is anything the matter?”
George looked at his brother with an expression that Robert couldn’t place. His mind, of course, suddenly went to a place where George was furious that he had decided to marry not only a governess, but his governess.
Could it really be that George did not wish me to marry Anne? Why would he not want me to be happy with her?
All of Robert’s questions, however, were answered the moment that George’s mysterious look vanished, and he burst into tears.
“No, no,” George said through his sobs, “absolutely nothing wrong. I was simply trying not to cry, and yet here I have gone and done just that!”
Robert chuckled and then went and embraced his brother. The man shook with sobs as they hugged, so Robert simply patted him on the back.
“I was terrified that you were upset with me for having gone ahead and proposed without gaining your consent,” Robert said quietly.
George quickly pulled away from him. “My consent? What on earth would you need that for? You’re a grown man!”
Robert laughed out loud and patted his brother’s cheek. “I know that, but I’m not sure if you’ve realized yet that you are not only my brother, but a father-figure too. It felt strange not to seek your consent before going on with this.”
George’s eyes widened, and for a second, Robert thought he might have been offended at the mention of being a father-figure to him. But then the man simply started crying harder than he had before. Robert pulled him into an embrace once again, until Eponine appeared in the corner of his vision. He looked to her as if to say, ‘does he do this often?’
Eponine smiled and nodded as if to say, ‘all the time.’
Robert gently let go of his sobbing brother, and Eponine took over. He could then turn to his nieces and nephew and fling his arms open for a celebratory hug.
“Uncle Robert, congratulations!” Andre cried and ran to hug him. “Now we get to have Miss Annie for the rest of our lives! Do you suppose that now she will be our aunt, we might be able to receive better compliments on our schoolwork?”
That made Anne laugh out loud, and Robert had a good chuckle at it too. “I already give you many compliments on all of the work that you do with me!” Anne cried.
Andre turned back and looked at her with sweet eyes. “Yes, but now that you’re to be our aunt, you’ll feel that you have to regardless of whether we do well or poorly!”
“That’s right!” Amelie agreed. She came and flung herself around Robert’s leg, embracing it as she spoke. “Now we do not have to work nearly as hard as she has made us work in the past, hooray!”
Robert laughed. “I’m very glad that out of everything you could be happy about in this situation, it is that Anne will have to be nicer to you as your aunt when she is working on your schoolwork with you.”
Amelie and Andre kept hugging their uncle, and he embraced them right back, but he wondered why Margaret was hanging back from both he and Anne. But as he watched, Anne knelt down to her level and beckoned Margaret towards her.
“What’s the matter, my dear?” she asked her softly.
Margaret did come to her, but she continued looking down at the floor. “I am very happy for you. There is nothing the matter, Miss Annie.”
Anne looked at her queerly. “There is something in your voice as well as your look that makes me believe otherwise. Would you care to share it with me, or would you like to keep it to yourself for now?”
As Robert watched, the little girl bit her lower lip and began crying ever so softly. His heart began to break. He couldn’t imagine why Margaret was upset, but what made it even worse was that it appeared to be caused by their engagement.
“I ... I could tell you ...” Margaret replied softly, “but I am afraid that it would make you sad.”
Anne put her hand on Margaret’s cheek and looked the little girl in the eyes. “My darling, if it is making you this upset, then I want to know what is bothering you immediately.”
Margaret let out a little sob and then was able to compose herself. “I am so happy that you and Uncle Robert are getting married, really, I am. I’m only feeling sad because ... because it means that you’re both going to have to leave us!”
With that, Margaret burst into tears, and Anne pulled her close. Anne looked over to Robert with a look on her face that said: What do I tell her?
But their problem was quickly solved by George and Eponine. They walked over to their little girl, and George said, “Margaret, Anne and Uncle Robert won’t be leaving right away! I am going to insist that they have their wedding right here at the house, and then perhaps we can kidnap them and keep them here forever. Does that sound like a good plan?”
